Difference Between Iron and Gold

Iron and Gold are two metals that show lot of differences between them when it comes to their properties. Iron is a metal with the chemical symbol Fe whereas gold is a metal with the symbol Au. Iron belongs to the first transition series. Gold is also a transition metal.

Both the metals differ from each other in terms of their atomic number. The atomic number of gold is 79 whereas the atomic number of iron is 26.

It is important to know that iron is the most common element found in the inner and the outer core of the planet Earth. It is in fact the fourth most common element found in the Earth’s crust. Gold on the other hand occurs as nuggets or grains on rocks and in alluvial deposits.

Gold is a metal that is shiny and soft. It is known for its malleability and ductility in its pure form. On the other hand iron is not malleable and ductile to a great extent when compared to gold. Both are available of course as solids.

Iron and gold differ from each other in terms of their atomic weight. The metal gold is said to have a standard atomic weight of 196.96 g mol. On the other hand the standard atomic weight of iron is 55.845 g mol. Both the metals have different boiling points too. Gold is said to have boiling point of 2856 degree Celsius whereas iron is said to have boiling point of 2862 degree Celsius.

The melting points of the two metals differ too in the sense that the metal of iron has a melting point of 1538 degree Celsius whereas the melting point of gold is 1064.18 degree Celsius.

Iron is very cheaper than gold. The color of gold is yellow whereas the color of fresh iron comes in silver color. One of the most important differences between gold and iron is that iron rusts whereas gold does not rust. Another important difference between the two is that gold is non-magnetic in nature whereas iron is highly magnetic in nature.

Iron is chemically very active whereas gold is chemically inactive for that matter. It only means that gold resists individual acids but it can be attacked by the acid mixture aqua regia. The mixture is called so because of its power of dissolving gold. The density of gold is 19.03 grams per cubic centimeter. On the other hand the density of iron is 7.87 grams per cubic centimeter.

It is interesting to note that iron is the sixth abundant element in the whole of the universe. Gold on the other hand has a great storage value than iron.